FIFA, the football governing body that organises the World Cup competition, has faced pressure to petition United States President Donald Trump to avoid immigration raids at this year’s tournament.
On Tuesday, the publication The Athletic cited anonymous sources as saying FIFA executives had approached the football association’s president, Gianni Infantino, with proposals to take to Trump, designed to lessen the likelihood of immigration crackdowns at the upcoming matches.
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The article indicated that Infantino is considering a direct appeal to Trump. The request would reportedly include a “full moratorium on ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids across the United States during the World Cup this summer”.
This year’s World Cup matches are being cohosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, and kickoff begins in less than two months, on June 11.
But the Trump administration’s push for mass deportation, as well as its efforts to tighten legal immigration pathways, have spurred concerns about whether the World Cup’s international audience might be targeted by US immigration authorities.
In a statement on Tuesday to Al Jazeera, the White House declined to discuss negotiations with FIFA leadership, but it praised the upcoming football tournament as a boon for the US.
“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be one of the greatest and most spectacular events in the history of mankind, right here in the United States of America,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.
“This event will generate billions of dollars of economic impact and bring hundreds of thousands of jobs to our country. The President is focused on making this the greatest World Cup ever while ensuring it is the safest and most secure in history.”
The Trump administration, however, has previously hinted that immigration agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could have a presence at this year’s World Cup games.
Eleven US cities, including Atlanta, Miami and Los Angeles, are set to host matches.
Last May, at a World Cup task force meeting, Vice President JD Vance estimated that visitors from hundreds of countries will be present at the event.
But he hinted that the US government would insist that all attendees obey the terms of their visas, gesturing to the presence of then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the panel.
“We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game,” Vance said. “But when the time is up, they’ll have to go home. Otherwise, they’ll have to talk to Secretary Noem.”
Until her firing last March, Noem had overseen Trump’s deportation efforts, attracting criticisms for her hardline stance.
Under her authority, for instance, ICE and other immigration agencies carried out a violent crackdown in Minnesota that resulted in the shooting deaths of two US citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, as well as reports of other human rights abuses.
More recently, in February, ICE acting Director Todd Lyons confirmed to a committee in the House of Representatives that his agency would be on the ground for World Cup events.
When questioned about visitor concerns, he declined to commit to pausing ICE operations at the matches.
“ICE, specifically Homeland Security Investigations, is a key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup,” Lyons said. “We’re dedicated to securing that operation, and we’re dedicated to the security of all our participants as well as visitors.”
According to The Athletic, FIFA was made aware of complaints during the FIFA Club World Cup in the US last year, including reports that agents from ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) were present at matches.
The Trump administration, however, has denied conducting enforcement efforts during the Club World Cup.
Still, some critics have questioned whether fans from around the world will feel safe and welcome in the US for this year’s tournament.
The Athletic explained that FIFA executives have framed the possibility of an immigration moratorium as a potential public relations boon for the Trump administration.
It also indicated that the executives hoped Infantino would leverage his friendly relationship with Trump to assuage any immigration-related fears.
Infantino’s close relationship with Trump has attracted frequent criticism: They are often seen at public events together, including this weekend’s UFC fight in Miami.
The FIFA chief also participated in a meeting for Trump’s controversial “Board of Peace” in February. In December, Infantino awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to Trump, crediting him with “exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace”.
That decision raised eyebrows about the prize’s selection process. Critics panned the award as an effort by Infantino to ingratiate himself with the US president, who had openly sought the Nobel Peace Prize.
After the ceremony, a rights group filed a complaint to FIFA’s ethics committee, calling the prize “a clear breach of FIFA’s duty of neutrality”.
